Sweden’s Regulator Prioritizes Player Safety: Groundbreaking Fines Issued to Roar Vegas and Glitnor Services

Sweden’s regulator, Spelinspektionen, has imposed fines on both Glitnor Services and LeoVegas’ Roar Vegas for breaches concerning their duty of care towards customers. Roar Vegas received a formal “remark” along with a hefty fine of SEK8 million (£617,044/€737,234/$795,303) for failing to adequately address excessive gambling behaviors exhibited by three customers, two of whom were classified as young gamblers in the 18-24 age range.

Following a supervision check of Roar Vegas’ operations, Spelinspektionen determined that the company did not intervene swiftly enough to mitigate the gambling issues. Although Roar Vegas implemented some effective measures, the regulator believed the operator should have taken action sooner. In response to the fine, Roar Vegas contended that it had fulfilled its duty of care correctly, asserting that the processes in the three cases resulted in the cessation of excessive gambling. The company also argued that there was a lack of clarity regarding their obligations as licensees and stated that the regulations did not clearly define when more intrusive measures should be initiated.

Despite Roar Vegas’s explanations, the regulator noted that the assessed customers had consistently logged in over several days, exhibited prolonged gaming sessions, and lost substantial amounts shortly after depositing funds—behaviors indicative of problem gambling. Spelinspektionen highlighted that, given the younger demographic of two of the customers, Roar Vegas should have promptly escalated their risk profile and enacted more intrusive measures ahead of time. Since the supervision check, Roar Vegas has implemented several protective measures for gamblers, including enhanced pop-up notifications regarding high deposit limits and clearer guidelines for handling high-risk customers, as well as imposed caps on deposits and bets.

In addition to Roar Vegas, Glitnor Services, based in Stockholm, was also fined $2.7 million for similar breaches of duty of care. A supervision check revealed that of the twelve gamblers assessed, Glitnor Services failed to aid ten who were engaged in excessive gambling behaviors. Collectively, these three customers deposited $218,831 each month, with some gambling multiple times a week and for extended periods—one instance involved continuous betting for eleven hours.

Spelinspektionen concluded that the measures implemented by Glitnor Services, such as customer messaging, did not effectively mitigate the excessive gambling. The regulator criticized the operator for its insufficient monitoring and follow-up processes. Glitnor Services, like Roar Vegas, maintained that it had not failed its duty of care and claimed to have taken appropriate actions in all reviewed cases. The operator argued that the law does not explicitly require the implementation of more intrusive measures beyond those already applied, stating that it is sufficient if a player shows any reduction in gambling without necessitating a suspension.

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In response, Spelinspektionen asserted that, according to the administrative court’s interpretations of the Gambling Act, licensees are obligated to take necessary actions to counteract excessive gambling on an individual basis, which includes implementing various forms of restrictions and limitations on access. In light of these findings, Spelinspektionen issued a fine of $2.7 million against Glitnor Services and provided the operator with a warning.

In February, Spelinspektionen reported a 2.65% year-on-year increase in gambling revenue in Sweden during 2024. Total gambling revenue reached SEK27.85 billion for the twelve months ending December 31, 2024, surpassing the SEK27.13 billion reported in the previous year.